Rita Swales is 48 and on top of the world. Her housesitting agency is 5 years old today, she's a successful businesswoman, and though going through the Change she feels sexier than ever. As she prepares for her anniversary party, so the story of her life unfolds: a journey from council flat poverty through the drudgery of motherhood to wealth, standing and a posh house in a leafy suburb. The only fly in the ointment is her husband, still malingering after losing his leg in an industrial accident. Rita's had just about enough, there's another man waiting in the wings and it's all going to come to a head at the party. This is an acerbic, poignant and very entertaining novel by a distinctive new voice.